Prince Lake summer cottager wished to have son occupy dwelling as caretaker

On the advice of Paul Cassan, the township’s lawyer, council voted to deny requests by Prince Lake summer cottagers to enter into settlement with the township that would allow them to occupy their cottages year-round.

The vote followed a brief in camera session at the Feb. 12 council meeting.

The decision stems from a request by summer cottager Shirley McIntomney to enter a settlement with the township that would permit her son to occupy her cottage year-round as its caretaker.

McIntomney was not involved in the protracted litigation that pitted the township against a group of year-round Prince Lake residents who disputed the validity of the lakeshore’s summer seasonal zoning.

The litigation was decided in the township’s favour in September 2011 in the Superior Court of Ontario.

The Prince Lake litigants then signed minutes of settlements — subject to several stringent conditions — that permitted them to continue as year-round residents until their properties changed hands.

Year-round residents who took no part in the litigation were also permitted to enter the settlement, but paid a fee of $7,500/family to be included.

However, McIntomney was not informed of the settlements signed by long-time, year-round residents. She also remained unaware until late last year that her son could not legally occupy her cottage over the off-season months.

She then sought to remedy the situation by entering the settlement signed by the year-round residents.

In the wake of council’s decision to deny any further settlements, McIntomney’s sole recourse is to apply to have her cottage property rezoned as residential, Greco said after the meeting.

In other news, township administrator Peggy Greco reported that a joint request from Sault Ste. Marie and Prince Township for up to $2 million in funding for bridge reconstruction had passed the province’s pre-screening process.

This means the city and Prince may submit an application for a grant from the Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative (MIII) Capital Program, which the province announced last year.

If the application is approved, the grant will pay up to half the cost of rebuilding four single-lane bridges — two on Base Line and two on Town Line — as two-lane structures.